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LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Monday, February 26, 2018) – The World Surf League (WSL) today announced the Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, a historic region-versus-region teams event featuring a cross-section of the world’s best surfers to be held at Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA from May 5 – 6, 2018.

Five teams – USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and World – made up of men’s and women’s surfers from the elite WSL Championship Tour, will compete over the two-day event at the world-class, man-made wave venue of Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California. The competition will be hosted against a festival backdrop honoring the culture of surfing – food, music, beverage, art and special guests will all be on site for enjoyment.

“This technology has captured the imagination of the global surfing community and created a number of new opportunities for the WSL,” Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. “The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will be the organization’s first public event at the facility and we’re very excited to showcase the wave and the world’s best surfers through this unique team format in May.”

The Surf Ranch facility, which was revealed online to the public in December 2015, boasts the best man-made wave in history – a 700-yard, high-performance, bi-directional wave featuring barrel sections and maneuver sections. Primarily existing as a testing facility, the Lemoore site has spent the past two years dialing in the technology under the guidance of 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and feedback from visiting WSL surfers. A private test event last September proved very successful, paving the way for the May Founders’ Cup of Surfing to be the first time the public will be allowed onto the grounds.

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing will see the men and women competing alongside one another in the team format, a first for WSL events that will add a new dimension to surf competition. The teams will be made up of three men and two women from each region, and the five-person teams will compete against one another throughout the course of the two-day event.

Kelly Slater (USA), 11-time WSL Men’s Champion, will lead the US men’s and women’s team at the Founders’ Cup. Although still recovering from a foot injury suffered last year in South Africa, Slater is eager to rehabilitate in time to compete in the Founders’ Cup.

“Surf Ranch and the wave system are obviously special to me and it’s really exciting to see it come online for the public in 2018, first with the Founders’ Cup and then with Surf Ranch Open,” Slater said. “As someone who has competed in probably every competition format there is, the Founders’ Cup region-versus-region, co-ed format is really intriguing to me. I think May is going to be a great showcase for the world’s best surfers at the facility.”

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), six-time WSL Women’s Champion, has been one of the standouts at the testing facility throughout the past year and the 30-year-old natural-footer will lead the Australian team at the Founders’ Cup this year.

“The facility and the wave at Surf Ranch is amazing,” Gilmore said. “It’s such a fun wave to surf and really high-performance. Having it come online to complement our ocean-based events in 2018 is really exciting and I’m looking forward to leading the Australia team at the Founders’ Cup in May.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA), 2014 WSL Men’s Champion and last season’s world runner-up, was victorious at last year’s test event at the Surf Ranch facility and the 24-year-old Brazilian will lead his South American colleagues at the venue in May.

“Leading the Brazil team at the Founders’ Cup in May is a real honor,” Medina said. “We have so much talent in Brazil on both the men’s and women’s side that I think we will be in a strong position to do well in the inaugural teams event.”

Johanne Defay (FRA), perennial threat on the WSL Women’s Championship Tour, has been one of the standouts throughout the 2017 training sessions at the facility. Defay will Captain the European squad at the Founders’ Cup.

“The Surf Ranch wave is so fun!” Defay said. “I was pumped when we heard that there would be a CT at the wave this year and now the Founders’ Cup. Team Europe will have some rippers on there for sure.”

Jordy Smith (ZAF), universally-regarded as one of the most progressive and powerful surfers on the planet, will captain the five-person World Team this May.

“Being able to captain the World Team is a real honor,” Smith said. “Our respective countries may not have the same numbers at the elite level as USA, Brazil and Australia, but we are able to draw from a huge talent pool. I’m frothing on the team aspect. It should be really exciting.”

Tickets will be available for sale starting March 12. Registration for pre-sale tickets can be found at WSLFoundersCup.com.

The Founders’ Cup of Surfing presented by Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold in May will be the first public event held at the facility. The Surf Cup Open, a men’s and women’s Championship Tour event, is scheduled for September 2018.

Presenting sponsor, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, is made with sustainably sourced organic grains and features ingredients free from artificial colors and flavoring. Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold was born from a commitment to innovate using ingredients and inspiration from nature.

Led by reigning two-time WSL Champions John John Florence (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS), the first event of the 2018 WSL Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast in Australia from March 11 – 22, 2018.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

ENDS

The rights to the images attached or accessed by link within this email are granted by the Association of Surfing Professionals LLC (“World Surf League”) for editorial use only. No commercial rights are granted to the Images in any way. The Images are provided on an “as is” basis and no warranty is provided for use of a particular purpose. Rights to individuals within the Images are not provided. The copyright is owned by World Surf League. Sale or license of the Images is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The rights to the audio/visual content attached or accessed by link within this email (“Footage”) are granted by the Association of Surfing Professionals LLC (“World Surf League”) to you (the email recipient) and any entity you forward the same to pursuant to the terms and conditions below (“Footage License”): By opening or accessing the Footage, you accept the terms of this Footage License. The rights to the Footage (or any part of it) are royalty-free and granted for editorial use or news service use only and this Footage License will expire one (1) week from the date the event subject to this Footage License concludes. No rights for commercial use or modification of the Footage are granted in any way, including any association made with a commercial brand or message. Where the Footage is used in any way online, a link to www.worldsurfleague.com must exist where the Footage is visible. The Footage is provided, and must be used on an “as is” basis and no warranty is provided for it’s use by you. Rights to individuals or brands (except WSL) within the Footage are not granted. World Surf League owns all rights, including copyright to the Footage. ALL RIGHTS NOT SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED ABOVE ARE RESERVED BY WORLD SURF LEAGUE
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About WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is dedicated to celebrating the world’s best surfing on the world’s best waves through a variety of best-in-class audience platforms. The League, headquartered in Santa Monica, is a global sport with regional offices in Australasia, Africa, North America, South America, Hawaii, Japan and Europe.

The WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, annually running in excess of 180 global events across the Men’s and Women’s Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels, and in doing so crowns the undisputed world champions in Men’s, Women’s across all divisions within the tour.

Showcasing the world’s best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the free WSL app, the WSL has a passionate global fan base with millions tuning in to see world-class athletes like Tyler Wright, John John Florence, Paige Alms, Kai Lenny, Taylor Jensen, Honolua Blomfield, Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore, Kelly Slater, Carissa Moore, Gabriel Medina, Courtney Conlogue and more battle on the most unpredictable and dynamic field of play of any sport in the world.

The rights to any audio/visual content attached or accessed by link within this email are provided strictly on the terms and conditions described under the “License Terms” below.

The World Surf League (WSL) is excited to announce that the WSL Surf Ranch Facility in Lemoore, Central California will host the world’s best surfers as part of the 2018 Championship Tour (CT) calendar.

“Based on the results of our test event this year and the feedback from surfers training at the facility throughout the season, next September’s event has the potential to be something special for both surfers and fans,” Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said. “We’re only scratching the surface of how this technology can be applied and it is completely game-changing for the sport.”

“It’s incredible what the WSL and KSWC teams have developed at Surf Ranch over the past year and California’s Central Valley now boasts a world-class wave,” Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said. “This technology, and its ability to deliver high-quality waves at any location in the world, opens so many possibilities for how we can complement and evolve the competitive experience.”

Since coming online in December 2015, the WSL Surf Ranch Facility in Lemoore, California has undergone constant refinement and evolution of its technology. A test event this year in September delivered very positive results in terms of competitive experience and the overwhelmingly supportive feedback from surfers training there throughout the season has encouraged the WSL to pursue an event at the facility in 2018.

“The experience of competing at Surf Ranch is pretty extraordinary,” Adrian Buchan, CT competitor and athlete representative, said. “What the team have created is hard to fathom at first – a perfect, 300-metre-long, bi-directional wave in the middle of rural California. I have no doubt that both the quality of the wave and the experience is befitting of hosting a world-class CT event. The Ocean will always be our home, but as we grow, having the opportunity to showcase and share the stoke of surfing to new audiences and schedule with pinpoint accuracy the huge match-ups and drama of the WSL is really exciting.”

“The surfers and the WSL have had a long-running discussion about the whole new set of opportunities that an event at the Surf Ranch facility can offer for the sport,” Sage Erickson, CT competitor and athlete representative, said. “We now have the opportunity to schedule events in advance, guaranteed high-quality waves, fair opportunity for all surfers and a totally new and unique environment for spectators. One of the takeaways from this season’s test event is surfers really have to bring their whole approach – barrels, turns, airs, carves and timing – to make an impact. It’s going to be incredible.”

A full 2018 WSL schedule is planned to be released next week.

The 2017 WSL Men’s and Women’s Title Races are coming down to the final events of the season – the Billabong Pipe Masters in memory of Andy Irons in Hawaii, USA from December 8 – 20, 2017 and the Maui Women’s Pro at Honolua Bay from November 25 – December 6, 2017.

For more information, log onto worldsurfleague.com

ENDS

The rights to the images attached or accessed by link within this email are granted by the Association of Surfing Professionals LLC (“World Surf League”) for editorial use only. No commercial rights are granted to the Images in any way. The Images are provided on an “as is” basis and no warranty is provided for use of a particular purpose. Rights to individuals within the Images are not provided. The copyright is owned by World Surf League. Sale or license of the Images is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The rights to the audio/visual content attached or accessed by link within this email (“Footage”) are granted by the Association of Surfing Professionals LLC (“World Surf League”) to you (the email recipient) and any entity you forward the same to pursuant to the terms and conditions below (“Footage License”): By opening or accessing the Footage, you accept the terms of this Footage License. The rights to the Footage (or any part of it) are royalty-free and granted for editorial use or news service use only and this Footage License will expire one (1) week from the date the event subject to this Footage License concludes. No rights for commercial use or modification of the Footage are granted in any way, including any association made with a commercial brand or message. Where the Footage is used in any way online, a link to www.worldsurfleague.com must exist where the Footage is visible. The Footage is provided, and must be used on an “as is” basis and no warranty is provided for it’s use by you. Rights to individuals or brands (except WSL) within the Footage are not granted. World Surf League owns all rights, including copyright to the Footage. ALL RIGHTS NOT SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED ABOVE ARE RESERVED BY WORLD SURF LEAGUE.

About the World Surf League
The World Surf League (WSL), formerly the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), is dedicated to celebrating the world’s best surfing on the world’s best waves through a variety of best-in-class audience platforms. The League, headquartered in Santa Monica, is a truly global sport with regional offices in Australasia, Africa, North America, South America, Hawaii, Japan and Europe.

The WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, running in excess of 180 global events across the Men’s and Women’s Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels, and in doing so crowns the undisputed world champions in Men’s, Women’s across all divisions within the tour.

Showcasing the world’s best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the free WSL app, the WSL has a passionate global fan base with millions tuning in to see world-class athletes like Tyler Wright, John John Florence, Paige Alms, Grant Baker, Phil Rajzman, Tory Gilkerson, Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore, Kelly Slater, Carissa Moore, Gabriel Medina, Courtney Conlogue and more battle on the most unpredictable and dynamic field of play of any sport in the world.

SANTA MONICA, CA/USA (Tuesday, May 24, 2016) – WSL Holdings, the parent company of the World Surf League (WSL), today announced an agreement in principle to acquire a majority stake in the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC).The partnership between the WSL and KSWC will be dedicated to promoting the growth of high-performance surfing around the world. KSWC’s revolutionary technology creates a number of possibilities for the future of the sport. The WSL and the KSWC envision the build-out of a global network of WSL-branded high-performance training centers utilizing this wave technology.

For Kelly Slater, the 11-time world champion, the creation of this wave technology is the realization of a lifelong dream and a 10-year project, and today’s announcement brings his two worlds together. “While surfing for me will always be about adventure, travel and the ocean, this wave brings a new opportunity to the sport without taking away the soulfulness that attracted many of us to surfing in first place,” said Slater. “Surfing great waves in a controlled environment adds a new dimension, as there is no hassling for waves, no stress over who got the best wave – they are all good. Everyone can relax, have fun and focus on improving their surfing.”

“It’s beyond my dreams that this wave will be a canvas for the global advancement of this great sport in partnership with the WSL,” he added. “It will democratize surfing and provide incredible training opportunities for athletes as well as aspirational surfers in areas with no ocean waves.”

The WSL sanctions and organizes the highest-level professional surfing competitions for men, women, big wave, longboarders and juniors.

“The WSL proudly represents the best in men’s and women’s competitive surfing globally, and the amazing man-made wave technology developed by Kelly Slater and his team is a revolutionary innovation that has the power to dramatically enhance every aspect of our sport,” said Paul Speaker, CEO of the WSL. “We share the same vision and passion for growing high-performance surfing, and are beyond excited to work together under one roof to bring the sport to levels and places never before possible.”

KSWC technology creates an opportunity for surfers to practice and develop ever-higher levels of performance in a repeating environment, with unprecedented opportunities for surrounding camera and sensor arrays providing immediate and perfectly accurate feedback on their progress. This is the first repeatable man-made wave that convincingly delivers the power and shape of ocean waves most sought after by accomplished surfers, including a hollow barrel allowing for long tube rides. While high-performance surfing is the core mission of both the WSL and the KSWC, the wave technology is flexible and can also create variable waves for beginner and intermediate surfers.

WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow recently visited the first KSWC site, and said the wave surpassed his expectations. “Up until a few weeks ago, I had never ridden Kelly’s Wave, and when I did, I was blown away by the experience,” Perrow said. “It is incredible to see this wave in action — it has more energy and power than I expected and this technology holds a lot of potential for the future development of surfers just starting out and those already competing on our Championship Tour.”

While competition in a man-made environment will offer previously impossible opportunities such as the creation of surrounding spectator environments, as well as certainty of scheduling, WSL CEO Speaker emphasized that nothing could ever replace the magic and mystery of world-class competition in the ocean. “We do believe that all stakeholders – athletes, fans, broadcast and corporate partners – will be super energized by the advent of Championship Tour-level competition with man-made waves,” he said, “but the ocean will always be our home, and the great waves on our tour will always remain the backbone of our competitive schedule.”

Speaker added: “No firm plans have been made for the inclusion of a man-made wave-based competition. We will be evaluating all the possibilities in the coming months with the Commissioners’ Office and the WSL athletes.”

WSL Holdings is the parent company of the World Surf League (WSL). The transaction is subject to the negotiation of mutually agreeable definitive documentation, among other customary conditions. Both WSL and KSWC will continue to operate independently as separate entities following the closing of a transaction. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com and KSWaveCo.com

About the Kelly Slater Wave Company
Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC) is an innovative wave technology company. KSWC is the first company to develop a formula that combines cutting edge science, engineering and design to create the longest, open-barrel, high-performance wave in existence. The wave system can mimic the power, speed and experience found in the best ocean waves. As envisioned by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, KSWC was created to evolve the sport of surfing by making it more accessible. The company is creating world-class, high-performance training centers where top athletes can perfect their talent. In addition, the company is looking at development applications for surfers of any level to enjoy the best man-made waves.

About the World Surf League
The World Surf League (WSL), formerly the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), is dedicated to celebrating the world’s best surfing on the world’s best waves through a variety of best-in-class audience platforms. The League, headquartered in Santa Monica, is a truly global sport with regional offices in Australasia, Africa, North America, South America, Hawaii, Japan and Europe.

The WSL has been championing the world’s best surfing since 1976, running global events across the Samsung Galaxy Men’s and Women’s Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation and performance at the highest levels.

Showcasing the world’s best surfing on its digital platform at WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the free WSL app, the WSL has a passionate global fan base with millions tuning in to see world-class athletes like Mick Fanning, John John Florence, Stephanie Gilmore, Greg Long, Gabriel Medina, Carissa Moore, Makua Rothman, Kelly Slater, Adriano de Souza and more battle on the most unpredictable and dynamic field of play of any sport in the world.